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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mate — a friend
  6. capital — a city
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — the fish
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. tear — to rip
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — soda
  14. bank — for money
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pop — to visit
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mate — a partner
  19. capital — money
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — a hat

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