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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: temple · stock · bore · game · lash · pitch · tear · cue

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. game — a match
  12. stock — goods
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stock — shares
  21. bore — to drill
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bore — gave birth

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