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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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 — shares
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stock — goods
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. shower — rain
  15. band — a ring
  16. pit — a hole
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. shower — to wash

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