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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 124 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. file — a line of people
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — a law
  17. file — a document
  18. rule — government
  19. bass — low music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bass — the fish

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