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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — army training
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — a practice
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — steady
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. firm — a company
  14. capital — a city
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. firm — decided
  24. game — a match

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