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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stock — shares
  3. face — part of the head
  4. craft — boats
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rest — a break
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — to get on
  24. stock — goods

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