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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — to get on
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bulb — for light
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. craft — boats
  10. club — a group
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bulb — for light
  15. craft — a skill
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — a box
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kid — to tease

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