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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — a thing
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — an aim
  6. drill — the tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — clever
  14. capital — money
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. deal — to handle
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. capital — a city
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. drill — army training
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — a coil

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