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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mate — a partner
  3. capital — money
  4. shower — rain
  5. swing — to play on
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — music
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — to bear
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — to handle
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a city
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — a box
  24. deal — an agreement

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