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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
468
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: temple · stock · ground · toast · hand · wake · kick · content

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — help
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. toast — bread
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — a position
  18. kick — in football
  19. content — the amount
  20. stock — shares
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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