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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — a city
  3. bat — the animal
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. charge — electricity
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bore — to tire
  11. drill — army training
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. charge — a price
  14. bore — to drill
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — the tool

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