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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. board — to get on
  3. capital — money
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a city
  19. wake — a trail
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. board — a committee
  23. track — a song
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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