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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. staff — a stick
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — to confront
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — shares
  14. rest — a break
  15. stock — goods
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — for digging
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — all right
  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