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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. drill — a practice
  8. capital — a city
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cell — a phone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. can — to be able to
  20. capital — money
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. can — a tin
  24. drill — army training

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