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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — to keep track
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. stock — shares
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — a break
  17. cell — in biology
  18. tear — from crying
  19. track — a song
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — goods

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