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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. capital — money
  5. chair — a leader
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. band — a ring
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. capital — a city

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