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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bat — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stock — goods
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stem — 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