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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. last — to go on
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. capital — money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — final
  12. season — of the year
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. row — a line
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. last — finally
  21. present — there
  22. row — to paddle
  23. present — the time now
  24. temple — a place of worship

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