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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.

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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fall — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fall — to drop
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. tube — a container
  18. capital — a city
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — to shout
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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