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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. file — a line of people
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — in music
  13. capital — money
  14. cell — a phone
  15. key — the most important part
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. can — a tin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. can — to be able to
  21. cell — in biology
  22. file — a document
  23. capital — a city
  24. temple — a place of worship

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