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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · lie · stock · pit · net · kick · wake

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. net — in sport
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — a trail
  6. land — a country
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. lie — to recline
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. capital — a city
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. net — after costs
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pit — in a race
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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