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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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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. key — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. key — for a lock
  22. kick — in football
  23. dip — to dunk
  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