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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — a position
  7. face — to confront
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stock — shares
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — goods
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bound — certain
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mark — a trace

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