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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. capital — a city
  3. march — music
  4. chip — for betting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — in football
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — the month

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