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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. chair — a leader
  13. club — a group
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. club — for golf
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fine — all right
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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