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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — a grade
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rest — what's left
  11. file — a document
  12. fine — all right
  13. stock — goods
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fine — high quality
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rest — a break
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

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