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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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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: shower · face · bay · stock · mark · chest · hand · wake

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — a trail
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. hand — help
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. face — to confront
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — a horse colour

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