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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — the underground
  4. face — to confront
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — goods
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. tube — a container
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — a weight

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