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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mate — a partner
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — goods
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. field — a subject
  23. plane — a tool
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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