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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. last — finally
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — shares
  10. fall — the season
  11. hand — in cards
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — to go on
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — help
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — final
  21. stock — goods
  22. degree — an amount
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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