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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. net — for catching
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — goods
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — in sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. ground — the earth
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bore — to drill
  20. net — after costs
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. race — the arms race

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