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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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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: mate · stock · firm · face · arm · wind · hide · rule

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rule — a law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mate — a partner
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stock — shares
  11. rule — government
  12. face — to confront
  13. mate — to breed
  14. firm — decided
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mate — a friend
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. firm — a company
  23. stock — goods
  24. face — part of the head

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