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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — soda
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — to visit
  9. capital — a city
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pop — music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. capital — a big letter
  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