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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bank — for money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. press — to push
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — a match
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. game — wild animals
  13. press — a publisher
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. capital — a city
  21. press — newspapers
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bank — for money
  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