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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 120 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: capital · temple · tear · ground · pitch · stock · court · cap

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tear — to rip
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ground — a position
  13. capital — money
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — a lid
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — the earth
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ground — crushed
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — a soup base

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