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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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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: present · temple · face · jam · charge · capital · clip · tear

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. clip — to cut
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — electricity
  5. tear — from crying
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — money
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — a video
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. charge — in control
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. tear — from crying
  14. present — the time now
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — to point toward
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tear — to rip
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. face — part of the head
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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