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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: lie · spring · cold · fine · face · bowl · chest · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — the season
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fine — all right
  24. chest — a box

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