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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — to trim
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mate — to breed
  19. staff — a stick
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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