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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rush — hurry
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — size or range
  13. dip — to sink
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. scale — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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