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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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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 · sharp · pass · temple · content · face · capital · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pass — a permit
  5. board — to get on
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stock — goods
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. board — a committee
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stock — shares
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. face — to confront
  19. capital — money
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — happy

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