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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: spring · pitcher · stock · chest · net · mark · temple · rule

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. rule — a law
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — shares
  7. chest — a box
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stock — goods
  22. spring — of water
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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