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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bear — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. chest — a box
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stock — shares
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. net — in sport
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. temple — side of the head

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