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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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Word bank
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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: bowl · hide · temple · net · capital · wind

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — money
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. net — in sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. net — for catching
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — to turn a key

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