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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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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 · kick · capital · cabinet · straw · temple · rock · ruler

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — a city
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. stock — shares
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rock — music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — a stone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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