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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fork — in a road
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. capital — money
  8. kid — to tease
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a city
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. kid — child
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — a series
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — of ice

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