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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. 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. wound — an injury
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lean — thin
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. mine — for digging
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — after costs
  18. 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