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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chest — a box
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bore — to tire
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chest — of your body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. root — the cause
  20. stock — goods
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. board — a committee
  24. can — a tin

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