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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: lie · capital · track · kid · stick · temple · mine · land

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lie — to recline
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. track — a song
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. land — a country
  13. mine — for digging
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — money
  19. track — a path
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — ground
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — to come down
  24. track — to keep track

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