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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · march · mug · capital · stick · chest · temple · can

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mug — a face
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — a match
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. game — wild animals
  16. march — music
  17. capital — money
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. temple — a place of worship

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