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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. face — to confront
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bass — low music
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. stock — shares
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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