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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cue — a hint
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. present — there
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. capital — a city
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. present — a gift
  14. capital — money
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cue — for pool

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