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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. net — after costs
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — for catching
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — in sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stock — shares
  24. fork — in a road

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