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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — army training
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — of water
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. current — electric
  9. drill — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — a practice
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spell — letters
  18. current — happening now
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — money
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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