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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — money
  5. band — a ring
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — a city
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. land — a country
  22. mug — a face
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cap — a lid

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