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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. net — in sport
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bank — for money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. root — the cause
  8. bank — for money
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — for catching
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — after costs
  24. capital — money

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