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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — a path
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. drill — army training

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