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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. present — there
  8. present — the time now
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — an amount
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — from a university
  13. tear — from crying
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tear — to rip
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — a city
  24. degree — temperature

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