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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitch — completely
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. bore — to drill
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. vault — a safe
  19. firm — a company
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. capital — a city

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