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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. key — in music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bore — to tire
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a city
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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