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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — of water
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. race — a contest
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. net — in sport
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — the season
  23. bowl — a football final
  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