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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · temple · club · capital · bat · bank

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. club — a group
  6. bank — for money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. club — for dancing
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. capital — a city
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bank — of a river
  17. capital — money
  18. club — for golf

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