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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. foot — a measure
  3. current — happening now
  4. capital — money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — of water
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. key — for a lock
  10. capital — a city
  11. press — to push
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chest — of your body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. press — newspapers
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. current — electric
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. press — a publisher

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