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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. band — a music group
  3. key — for a lock
  4. row — a line
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a ring
  8. key — in music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — to paddle
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — money
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. capital — a city
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — a division
  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