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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rule — government
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. scale — in music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rule — a law
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — a trail
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wound — an injury

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