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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pop — soda
  6. bore — to tire
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. capital — a city
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pop — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — for sculpting

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