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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.

Make a worksheet

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: temple · pass · foot · mine · rock · fan · capital · bat

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rock — music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — a stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. capital — money
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. foot — part of the body

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