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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pop — soda
  7. stock — shares
  8. can — a tin
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pound — a weight
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. face — to confront
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — music
  24. face — part of the head

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