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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. content — the amount
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. spell — letters
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spell — a short time
  13. capital — money
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. content — happy
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a city
  24. bear — to put up with

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