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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. last — to go on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rash — a series
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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