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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. march — the month
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. march — music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rule — government

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