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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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. bore — gave birth
  4. staff — employees
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. lean — thin
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. roll — a list
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. capital — money
  24. roll — a cake

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