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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. last — to go on
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bore — to drill
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. capital — money
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — soda
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mug — a face
  19. last — finally
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. last — final
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — ministers

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