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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — in cards
  6. fine — all right
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stock — shares
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — goods
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. pit — a hole
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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