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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: fall · fine · staff · temple · wind · racket · capital · wave

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. fall — the season
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a city
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. staff — employees
  22. capital — money
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fine — all right

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