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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chest — a box
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. capital — money
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — for a lock
  13. capital — a city
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. key — in music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. key — the most important part
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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