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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — an illness
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rule — government
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — to get on
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. board — a committee
  14. foot — a measure
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — a trail
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stock — goods
  24. foot — part of the body

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