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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a lid
  5. capital — a city
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cap — of ice
  12. clip — a video
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. drill — army training
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. capital — money
  22. clip — to cut
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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