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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mate — to breed
  8. tube — the underground
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. stock — shares
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — a container
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. season — of the year
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mate — a friend

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