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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 116 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: cell · stock · row · face · bowl · present · track · race

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — in biology
  3. face — to confront
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cell — a phone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. race — the arms race
  8. track — a path
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — shares
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — a song
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — humankind
  17. present — there
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. present — a gift
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — a line
  22. stock — goods
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — the time now

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