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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.

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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: capital · bat · cabinet · tube · firm · mouse · wind · temple

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. tube — the underground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. firm — steady
  17. capital — a city
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. firm — decided
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — a company

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