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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: bat · pound · club · arm · coach · temple · capital · fork

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fork — in a road
  7. club — for golf
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — money
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. club — for dancing
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — a group

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