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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bulb — for light
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. march — music
  6. land — a country
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. capital — a city
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. march — the month
  15. stand — to bear
  16. land — ground
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — from crying
  20. march — the month
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — money
  24. shower — to wash

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