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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a city
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. firm — steady
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — final
  19. firm — a company
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — decided
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — on a finger

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