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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. rash — a series
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — for digging
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. staff — employees
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rash — hasty
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — to bear
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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