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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bore — to drill
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cap — a hat
  8. capital — money
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — final
  11. cap — a lid
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — a city
  14. last — to go on
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — finally
  18. club — for dancing
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. club — a group
  24. bore — to tire

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