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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: fork · pop · capital · ground · kid · temple · racket · wake

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pop — soda
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pop — music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — a garden tool

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