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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. capital — a city
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — money
  9. race — humankind
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. board — a committee
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fine — all right
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — to get on
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fine — high quality
  19. race — the arms race
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fan — a supporter

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