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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. track — a song
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for golf
  12. track — a path
  13. pop — to visit
  14. charge — electricity
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pop — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — soda
  19. club — for dancing
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. charge — in control
  23. club — a group
  24. track — to keep track

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