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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wound — an injury
  9. drill — a practice
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. capital — money
  14. last — final
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. last — to go on
  24. arm — part of the body

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