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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: pit · rest · last · stock · temple · net · rush · tear

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — hurry
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rest — a break
  24. stock — a soup base

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