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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: chair · stock · temple · degree · pitcher · fork · rush · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — for digging
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — a jug

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