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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · court · temple · object · bore · wound · degree · straw

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — an injury
  4. object — to protest
  5. degree — an amount
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of law
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. object — an aim
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — of a king
  15. bore — to tire
  16. object — a thing
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — from a university
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — for sport

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