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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. roll — a list
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. field — farmland
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. roll — a cake
  13. stock — shares
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. chest — a box
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stock — goods
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. field — for sport
  24. net — in sport

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