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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — final
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. land — ground
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. last — finally
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — to go on
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. plane — a tool
  23. board — a committee
  24. capital — money

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