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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: capital · court · fork · drill · bore · mug · rock · mate

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rock — a stone
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — of law
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rock — music
  19. mug — a face
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mate — a partner
  24. capital — a city

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