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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — in music
  11. chest — a box
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — shares
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cell — a phone
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mine — for digging
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — goods

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