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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. stock — goods
  3. suit — clothes
  4. drill — army training
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. suit — to fit
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rest — what's left
  19. toast — bread
  20. rest — a break
  21. suit — in cards
  22. drill — a practice
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. shower — rain

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