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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 120 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: mark · ground · kid · firm · drill · stock · temple · spell

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ground — a position
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mark — a grade
  5. drill — the tool
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — goods
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — magic
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. firm — steady
  18. ground — crushed
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — to tease
  22. drill — army training
  23. kid — child
  24. firm — a company

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