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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: squash · kick · stock · rash · wake · foot · pitcher · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. capital — money
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stock — goods
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — shares
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. foot — part of the body

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