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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. capital — a city
  9. row — a line
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — money
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. row — to paddle
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — clever
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — gave birth

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