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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — crushed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — a position
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. drill — army training
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — the earth

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