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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. face — part of the head
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. dip — to sink
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — a stone

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