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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. capital — a city
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bound — certain
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bound — obliged
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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