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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a city
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rock — music
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. hand — help
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — to move gently

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