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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: date · bore · lie · chair · leaves · temple · stock · squash

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — goods
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. date — the fruit
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. squash — the sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bore — to tire

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