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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — in music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bore — to tire
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — clever
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stock — goods
  24. scale — size or range

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