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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. game — a match
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fine — all right
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bear — the animal
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — shares
  24. dip — a sauce

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