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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — to recline
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — to drill
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. board — a committee
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. board — to get on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. field — a subject

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