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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. object — a thing
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. land — to come down
  14. capital — a city
  15. object — to protest
  16. capital — money
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pound — a weight
  21. march — music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. land — a country

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