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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. squash — the sport
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. squash — to crush
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — of a word
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. drill — army training
  24. capital — a city

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