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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · kick · face · wave · stock · saw · date · deal

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. kick — a thrill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stock — shares
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — in football
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stock — goods
  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