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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: scale · kid · temple · hide · mate · pit · race · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kid — to tease
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pit — in a race
  15. race — a contest
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — in music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. scale — for weighing

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