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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stock — goods
  7. craft — boats
  8. land — ground
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a skill
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bass — low music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. rush — hurry
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stock — shares

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