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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. staff — a stick
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rest — a break
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — shares
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — a division
  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