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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: key · racket · face · file · stock · lie · chest · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to confront
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chest — of your body
  8. file — a tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to click
  11. lie — to recline
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — in music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. key — for a lock
  20. file — a line of people
  21. face — part of the head
  22. file — a document
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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