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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. lean — thin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to bend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cue — for pool

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