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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chip — for betting
  6. capital — a city
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. capital — money
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. march — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cold — an illness
  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