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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rash — a series
  3. capital — a city
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — after costs
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — in sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — for catching
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. prune — the fruit

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