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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: stock · kick · field · capital · wake · temple · ball · sharp

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. capital — money
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. field — a subject
  13. stock — shares
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. capital — a city
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — goods
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. temple — a place of worship

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