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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mark — a grade
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a trace
  10. capital — a city
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bound — certain
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — gave birth

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