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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. craft — a skill
  12. last — final
  13. capital — a city
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. craft — boats
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. last — finally
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — a permit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. drill — army training
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. capital — money

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