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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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Word bank
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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: bore · press · trunk · pass · court · drill · capital · fine

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — of a king
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pass — a permit
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. drill — a practice
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — a city
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — for sport
  24. pass — to succeed

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