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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: foot · firm · spring · snap · rash · deal · temple · capital

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. capital — a city
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rash — a series
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — hasty
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — a company
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. spring — the season
  22. foot — a measure
  23. capital — money
  24. firm — decided

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