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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.

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: drill · fine · date · bat · rash · foot · temple · capital

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. drill — army training
  3. rash — hasty
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fine — all right
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. date — the fruit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. capital — money
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. foot — a measure
  23. capital — a city
  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