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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fine — all right
  5. roll — a list
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chest — a box
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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