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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — money
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. can — a tin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — to be able to
  19. capital — a city
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mark — a trace

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