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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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. craft — a skill
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. capital — money
  7. swing — in golf
  8. capital — a city
  9. face — to confront
  10. clip — to cut
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. swing — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. firm — decided
  15. swing — to play on
  16. face — to point toward
  17. craft — boats
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. band — a ring
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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