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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bank — of a river
  8. field — for sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — magic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bank — for money
  17. kid — child
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. field — a subject

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