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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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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: prune · capital · bore · track · court · squash · drill · board

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. board — to get on
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — of law
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the sport
  13. capital — a city
  14. court — for sport
  15. capital — money
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — a committee
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to tire
  20. prune — to trim
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — the tool

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