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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.

Make a worksheet

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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. track — a path
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — the month
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wound — an injury
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. staff — a stick
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — to recline
  23. march — music
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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