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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — of a king
  4. lean — thin
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. suit — to fit
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — shares
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stock — goods
  18. cabinet — ministers

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