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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
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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: pitcher · cell · cap · craft · stock · march · kick · temple

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cell — a phone
  6. march — music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — goods
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — the month
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cell — in biology

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