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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — army training
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — a grade
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mate — a friend
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — a face
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mug — a cup

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