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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. capital — a city
  3. object — a thing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — a face
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. snap — to click
  11. object — to protest
  12. bore — to drill
  13. drill — the tool
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. object — an aim
  22. drill — army training
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mug — to rob

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