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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rule — government
  4. stock — shares
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. sharp — clever
  7. fall — the season
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fall — to drop
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rule — a law
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spring — of water

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