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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. key — in music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. pitch — completely
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. capital — a city
  8. rock — music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hand — help
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mate — to breed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rock — a stone
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — a partner
  22. capital — money
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rock — to move gently

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