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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a face
  4. shower — rain
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. capital — money
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — to rob
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rush — hurry

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