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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. stand — to bear
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. roll — a cake
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. roll — a list
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. trunk — of a tree

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