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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a music group
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — a tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. face — part of the head

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