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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: stem · stock · racket · temple · chip · kick · game · court

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chip — to eat
  7. game — a match
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stock — shares
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. game — wild animals
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. stock — goods
  18. court — of a king
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — to come from
  22. court — of law
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. kick — in football

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