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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — goods
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kid — to tease
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. key — for a lock
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stock — shares
  18. squash — the sport
  19. key — in music
  20. kid — child
  21. key — the most important part
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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