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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. present — there
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. object — a thing
  7. club — a group
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. object — an aim
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. present — the time now
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — a gift
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mark — a trace
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. club — for golf
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — a grade

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