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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · capital · jam · leaves · stock · key · safe · rule

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. capital — a city
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. key — for a lock
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rule — a law
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. capital — money
  21. stock — goods
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. key — in music
  24. temple — side of the head

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