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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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. band — a music group
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. content — happy
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — in sport
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. content — the amount
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. band — a ring
  24. cue — for pool

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