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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.

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: pound · stock · sharp · bowl · toast · track · wound · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. sharp — clever
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — a weight
  6. track — a song
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. toast — bread
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — shares
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. track — to keep track
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stock — goods
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. sharp — exactly

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