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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — shares
  13. court — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — a subject
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. field — for 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