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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. date — the fruit
  7. root — the cause
  8. march — music
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bank — for money
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bank — for money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a word
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pass — a permit

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