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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — for baseball

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