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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bound — obliged
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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