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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · fine · bore · fork · racket · pop · nail · bark

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pop — music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — to tire
  18. capital — money
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bark — to shout
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — a city
  24. nail — on a finger

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