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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. staff — employees
  8. chest — a box
  9. season — in sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — a short time
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. drill — army training
  16. spell — letters
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — a city
  20. staff — a stick
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — money
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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