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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spell — letters
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. clip — to cut
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. shower — rain
  12. spell — a short time
  13. stock — goods
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. clip — a video
  18. bound — tied together
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. plane — a tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. spell — magic
  24. shower — to wash

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