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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. face — to point toward
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. face — to confront
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mug — a face
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mug — a cup
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mug — to rob
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stock — goods
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stock — shares

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