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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. capital — money
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — to come from
  8. object — a thing
  9. court — for sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — letters
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. court — of a king
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. capital — a city
  20. object — an aim
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. court — of law
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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