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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. staff — a stick
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — money
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a cake
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. roll — a list
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — employees
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. band — a rubber band

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