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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — from crying
  3. date — the fruit
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — a partner
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — side of the head

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