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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — goods
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. root — of a word
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. root — of a plant
  15. season — in sport
  16. stock — shares
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — army training
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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