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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: drill · straw · stock · land · face · pass · key · wave

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. land — ground
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stock — shares
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — for a lock
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. key — in music
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — a permit
  20. key — the most important part
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. face — part of the head
  23. land — to come down
  24. stock — goods

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