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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. capital — a city
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitch — completely
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. land — ground
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. capital — money
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. straw — a straw man

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