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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. march — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. land — a country
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. capital — a city
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. land — to come down
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. craft — boats
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — the month
  21. craft — a skill
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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