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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — a permit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stock — goods
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — a line
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stock — shares
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. temple — a place of worship

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