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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — a coil
  9. firm — decided
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — of water
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — a company
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — thin
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — a place of worship

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