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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. capital — a city
  10. bark — to shout
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. capital — money
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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