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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — hurry
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. track — to keep track
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pitch — completely
  12. capital — money
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — a path
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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