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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: dip · face · tear · stand · rash · stock · game · roll

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a match
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. face — to point toward
  9. tear — from crying
  10. roll — a list
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rash — a series
  15. stock — shares
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. roll — a cake
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stand — to bear
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stock — a soup base

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