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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chip — for betting
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. season — of the year
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. capital — money
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. branch — a division
  22. chip — to eat
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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