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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kick — in football
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — in biology
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — shares
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kick — with a leg

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