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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: kick · pound · temple · march · foot · clip · present · stock

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — for paper
  6. foot — a measure
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — a weight
  12. kick — in football
  13. march — the month
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. present — there
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. march — music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. present — a gift
  24. stock — shares

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