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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. stock — shares
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bore — to drill
  13. mate — a friend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. last — to go on
  19. bore — to tire
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — a trail
  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