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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · wave · drill · bowl · pit · capital

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pit — a hole
  4. capital — a city
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. drill — army training
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. drill — a practice
  18. capital — money

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