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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: rush · tube · capital · drill · ball · foot · object · bay

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — an aim
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. object — to protest
  8. tube — a container
  9. capital — money
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — a practice
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a great time
  17. object — a thing
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. ball — a dance
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. capital — a big letter

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