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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — goods
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. board — to get on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — a committee
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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