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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: temple · mate · foot · shower · capital · jam · fan · pit

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mate — a friend
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — a hole
  10. shower — to wash
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — to breed
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — money
  24. fan — to cool the air

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