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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 · drill · stock · track · spell · bat · perch · key

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stock — goods
  11. track — a path
  12. key — for a lock
  13. perch — the fish
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bat — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — a short time
  20. track — a song
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. key — in music

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