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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. firm — decided
  5. net — after costs
  6. race — humankind
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. firm — steady
  9. race — the arms race
  10. net — for catching
  11. drill — the tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. race — a contest
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to click
  19. firm — a company
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. drill — a practice
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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