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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — a subject
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stem — to come from
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. vault — a safe
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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