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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — shares
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. capital — a city
  19. bound — certain
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — goods

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