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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: nail · hide · wound · ball · pass · stick · present · capital

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pass — a permit
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — the time now
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — there
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — money
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. capital — a city
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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