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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.

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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 · mouse · jam · wave · fine · court · stock · file

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of a king
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. fine — all right
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — high quality
  15. file — a tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. court — of law
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stock — shares

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