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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — a city
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lie — to recline
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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