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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. capital — money
  3. object — an aim
  4. bore — to tire
  5. present — there
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. present — a gift
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — a video
  18. staff — employees
  19. object — to protest
  20. clip — to cut
  21. object — a thing
  22. clip — for paper
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a rubber band

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