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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. key — in music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. key — for a lock
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. field — farmland
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. key — the most important part
  19. swing — in golf
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rush — hurry
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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