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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. ball — a dance
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a great time
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — goods
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cap — a hat
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. face — part of the head
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cap — of ice
  24. saw — the tool

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