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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — to tire
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a city
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — employees
  24. temple — a place of worship

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