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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. stock — shares
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mug — to rob
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bass — the fish
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bass — low music
  15. mug — a face
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stock — goods
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cold — not warm
  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