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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. capital — a city
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. shower — rain
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. capital — money
  11. season — in sport
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — to wash
  15. season — of the year
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bore — to drill
  19. drill — army training
  20. scale — in music
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fine — all right
  24. scale — for weighing

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