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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. court — of law
  7. stock — shares
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cap — of ice
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — for sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — a hat
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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