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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bound — obliged
  11. race — humankind
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. race — the arms race
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. capital — a city
  18. track — a song
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — size or range
  23. race — a contest
  24. scale — for weighing

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