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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — to confront
  10. squash — the sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chest — of your body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — goods
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — in music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — for weighing

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