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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. net — for catching
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bank — for money
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stock — shares
  20. bank — for money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bulb — of a plant

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