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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. season — in sport
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. band — a music group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. season — of the year
  18. kick — in football
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. band — a rubber band

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