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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 120 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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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: face · ball · lie · dip · stock · wake · cue · row

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — to confront
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stock — goods
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — a line
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. face — to point toward
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wake — a trail
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cue — a signal

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