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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. capital — a city
  4. ball — a great time
  5. deal — to handle
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — a company
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. present — there
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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