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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cue — a hint
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — a signal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rest — a break
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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