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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wake — a trail
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kid — child
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. plane — a tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — for sport
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — shares
  24. face — to confront

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