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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: net · rock · stock · pass · face · wind · scale · rule

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. scale — size or range
  5. face — to confront
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — goods
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — music
  13. pass — a permit
  14. face — to point toward
  15. net — in sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rock — a stone
  24. net — after costs

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