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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: chip · stand · season · last · stock · temple · capital · squash

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — shares
  11. chip — for betting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — goods
  19. capital — money
  20. last — finally
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — final
  24. stand — for spectators

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