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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. stock — shares
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. file — a document
  10. rule — a law
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to confront
  16. rule — government
  17. pop — soda
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — a container
  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