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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · pit · temple · wind · rule · stock · clip · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — a law
  8. can — a tin
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — government
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — shares
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pit — a hole
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — a video
  24. rule — to rule out

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