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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hand — help
  6. land — ground
  7. wake — a trail
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — to come down
  11. rule — government
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — a country
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stock — goods

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