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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tube — a container
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. capital — a city
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bank — of a river
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tube — the underground
  22. capital — money
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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