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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. face — to point toward
  3. band — a ring
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. scale — in music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — size or range
  24. band — a music group

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