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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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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: wake · stock · deal · rash · roll · capital · temple · coach

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — shares
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rash — hasty
  7. roll — a list
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a city
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. roll — a cake
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. capital — money
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — goods
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. coach — a trainer

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