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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: capital · pit · stick · stock · wave · game · toast · temple

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stock — shares
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pit — in a race
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — bread
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. capital — money
  23. game — a match
  24. wave — of the sea

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