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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 120 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: capital · bore · rock · foot · kid · chair · field · fine

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bore — to tire
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. capital — a city
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chair — a leader
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kid — child
  19. capital — money
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rock — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — a subject
  24. kid — to tease

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