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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. drill — army training
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. capital — money
  19. fall — the season
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. capital — a city
  24. drill — a practice

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