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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — part of the head
  3. object — an aim
  4. stock — shares
  5. face — to confront
  6. object — to protest
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mate — a partner
  10. spring — the season
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. face — to point toward
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — of water
  23. mate — to breed
  24. swing — in golf

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