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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. capital — money
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — certain
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. track — a song
  15. capital — a city
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — a country
  19. track — a path
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — ground
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. temple — side of the head

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