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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. tear — to rip
  4. face — to point toward
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stock — shares
  10. mark — a grade
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — to confront
  20. mark — a trace
  21. spell — letters
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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