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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fall — to drop
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — the season
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. scale — in music
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rest — a break
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. face — to confront

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