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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: face · lean · stock · deal · season · rule · cell · straw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cell — a phone
  4. face — to confront
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — in sport
  7. rule — government
  8. stock — goods
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — of the year
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — shares
  15. rule — a law
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — thin

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