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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bank — of a river
  4. race — a contest
  5. capital — money
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. capital — a city
  8. last — final
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. last — finally
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — for money
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fork — in a road
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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