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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.

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: lie · capital · mine · temple · kid · bulb · court · fan

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — to recline
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. capital — money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mine — for digging
  21. capital — a city
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fan — a supporter

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