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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — a city
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — clever
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. capital — money
  24. object — an aim

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