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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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. deal — an agreement
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pit — a hole
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. roll — a cake
  11. current — of water
  12. mug — a face
  13. stock — shares
  14. mug — a cup
  15. deal — to handle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. current — electric
  19. key — in music
  20. stock — goods
  21. roll — a list
  22. pit — in a race
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — to rob

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