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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fine — all right
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — soda
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. capital — money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pop — music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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