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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stock — goods
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rest — a break
  15. rule — government
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rule — a law
  24. mark — a trace

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