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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pound — a weight
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. firm — decided
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. firm — a company
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mate — to breed
  19. season — in sport
  20. mate — a friend
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — steady
  23. mate — a partner
  24. temple — side of the head

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