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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: temple · dip · chip · mate · stock · ground · net · mouse

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — shares
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stock — goods
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a partner
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — to eat
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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