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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — goods
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rest — a break
  18. foot — a measure
  19. track — a song
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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