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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. capital — money
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fine — all right
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. drill — army training
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chest — a box
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — a city

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