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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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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: chip · capital · temple · ball · face · pitcher · row · saw

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — part of the head
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. row — to paddle
  6. face — to confront
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a dance
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — to eat
  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