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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. bound — obliged
  3. capital — a city
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rest — a break
  20. foot — a measure
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  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