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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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468
Word bank
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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — a grade
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a city
  13. mark — a trace
  14. file — a line of people
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. file — a document
  19. rest — a break
  20. pass — a permit
  21. capital — money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. file — a tool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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