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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. spell — magic
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. face — to confront
  15. drill — a practice
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. drill — army training
  22. stock — goods
  23. drill — the tool
  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