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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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Word bank
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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — a gift
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. kick — in football
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. stock — shares
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spell — letters
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — there
  18. spell — magic
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — to hurry
  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