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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a city
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. capital — money
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chest — a box
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bass — low music
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — the season
  22. chest — of your body
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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