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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. kid — child
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — shares
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — goods
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. rest — what's left
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — a soup base

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