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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: game · swing · temple · stock · hand · fine · row · can

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. swing — to play on
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. swing — music
  9. row — to paddle
  10. game — a match
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — in golf
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — help
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — goods
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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