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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: stock · tube · temple · fine · face · chip · racket · cold

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — to eat
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — for betting
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fine — all right
  9. stock — shares
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tube — a container
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to confront
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chip — in a computer

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