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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. temple — side of the head
  2. chest — a box
  3. stock — shares
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. foot — a measure
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  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