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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tube — the underground
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. tube — a container
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — magic
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spell — letters
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tear — from crying
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. board — a committee
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tear — to rip

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