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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. capital — money
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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