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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. firm — steady
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. firm — decided
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — of water
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — a company
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com