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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. capital — money
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. lean — thin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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