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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: stock · mug · game · trunk · date · club · present · temple

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. game — a match
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — goods
  11. date — the fruit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. club — a group
  15. present — a gift
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. present — there
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. club — for dancing
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. present — the time now

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