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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: temple · capital · club · season · nail · spring · stock · pit

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a city
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — shares
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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