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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: bowl · temple · kid · stock · root · chip · shower · sharp

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chip — to eat
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. root — the cause
  11. shower — rain
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — goods
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. root — of a plant

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