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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · bay · face · clip · roll · deal · wave · pitcher

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. roll — a list
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — to cut
  16. deal — to handle
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. face — part of the head
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. clip — a video

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