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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 · land · firm · stock · bay · tear · chair · fine

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. firm — steady
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — all right
  9. firm — a company
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. stock — shares
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. firm — decided
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. land — ground

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