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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pop — to visit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a city
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — soda
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — money
  18. pop — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kid — child
  22. press — to push
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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