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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. foot — a measure
  9. band — a music group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. capital — money
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — an amount
  17. capital — a city
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — the tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. court — of a king
  23. bore — to tire
  24. foot — part of the body

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