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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — a stick
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. land — a country
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. land — to come down
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. drill — the tool
  24. capital — a city

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