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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — shares
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stem — to come from
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mate — a partner
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. snap — to click
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stem — a stem cell

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