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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. club — for golf
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. club — a group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. capital — a city
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cell — a phone
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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