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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. net — for catching
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cue — a hint
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. drill — the tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — to eat with

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