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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — farmland
  6. bore — to drill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. key — for a lock
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pass — a permit
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. key — in music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — to sink
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bore — to tire

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