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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: race · press · capital · temple · kid · bay · fall · cell

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. race — a contest
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kid — child
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a city
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fall — to drop

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