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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: stock · last · calf · temple · present · ground · drill · mine

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. present — the time now
  3. stock — goods
  4. present — there
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. drill — army training
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. present — a gift
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — final
  20. stock — shares
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ground — a position
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — finally

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