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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — the time now
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — all right
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. present — there
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cell — a phone
  21. present — a gift
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wax — to grow

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