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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kick — in football
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — in a road
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — to eat
  12. last — final
  13. face — to confront
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. last — finally
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. face — part of the head

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