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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — goods
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stock — shares
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of law
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. court — for sport

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