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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mate — to breed
  11. club — a group
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hand — help
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — a box

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