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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
468
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: temple · mine · chip · ball · foot · stock · mark · chair

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chair — a leader
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. ball — a great time
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chip — for betting

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