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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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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 · temple · rule · mug · net · current · cabinet · kid

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. current — of water
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. net — for catching
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — after costs
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. current — electric
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rule — a law
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — happening now
  22. stock — shares
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — government

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