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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. squash — to crush
  3. foot — a measure
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. perch — the fish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. land — ground
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — a country
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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