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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — a break
  3. fork — in a road
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — goods
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. pound — a weight
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — for catching
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kid — child
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. net — in sport

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