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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mark — a grade
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stock — goods
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cold — not warm
  10. face — to confront
  11. dip — to sink
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cell — a phone
  17. firm — a company
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stock — shares
  21. cold — an illness
  22. firm — steady
  23. pass — to succeed
  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