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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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468
Word bank
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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. present — a gift
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — money
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — a city
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. present — there
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — a measure
  21. game — a match
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. temple — a place of worship

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