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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: cell · fork · club · capital · lie · arm · temple · key

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — a group
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — for a lock
  6. capital — money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cell — a phone
  15. club — for golf
  16. cell — in biology
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. lie — to recline
  21. capital — a city
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. key — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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