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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — boats
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — to sink
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. press — to push
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — a publisher

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