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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — to drill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. capital — a city
  14. land — a country
  15. capital — money
  16. land — ground
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bowl — to roll

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