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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. drill — army training
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cell — in biology
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hand — help
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bank — for money
  15. spell — magic
  16. drill — the tool
  17. capital — money
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bank — for money
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — a big letter

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