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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kid — child
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. board — to get on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — a cup
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. sharp — clever
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — certain
  15. kid — to tease
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — tied together
  18. board — a committee
  19. stock — shares
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mug — to rob
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — with an edge

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