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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. sharp — clever
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — money
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. drill — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — army training
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. sharp — with an edge

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