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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
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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 · ground · kid · drill · root · date · suit · temple

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. ground — crushed
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. root — of a word
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. stock — goods
  9. suit — clothes
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — a practice
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. root — of a plant
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — the earth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — child

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