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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: pit · content · foot · temple · leaves · stock · tube · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — the amount
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — a container
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. foot — a measure
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. content — happy
  18. stock — shares
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — in football

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