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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — electric
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. drill — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. drill — army training
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — to drill
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. current — happening now
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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