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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — a city
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. last — final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. date — the fruit
  13. capital — money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — to go on
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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