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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to drill
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bore — to tire
  16. court — for sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. court — of law

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