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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. kick — in football
  3. suit — clothes
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — in cards
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — in cards
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — temperature
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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