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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — the month
  6. scale — in music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stock — goods
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. march — music

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