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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. object — to protest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. object — a thing
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bore — to tire
  19. object — an aim
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — to drill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. net — after costs

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