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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. temple — side of the head

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