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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. band — a music group
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. squash — the sport
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — money
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. squash — to crush
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. band — a ring
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. nail — for a hammer

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