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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — low music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. object — to protest
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — a short time
  13. vault — a safe
  14. capital — a city
  15. bore — to tire
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. object — a thing
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. object — an aim
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spell — letters

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