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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. drill — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — an illness
  11. land — a country
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rock — a stone
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — army training
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — not warm
  19. land — to come down
  20. capital — a city
  21. present — the time now
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rock — music

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