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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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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rule — government
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — child
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. root — the cause
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rule — a law
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. root — of a plant

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