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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — to sink
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — in sport
  8. face — to point toward
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. face — to confront
  12. mug — a face
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. arm — a part of something

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