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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. capital — money
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. capital — a city
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a ring
  11. tube — a container
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. band — a music group
  22. charge — a price
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fork — to eat with

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