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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: drill · coach · jam · nail · rule · capital · mouse · kick

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. capital — a city
  4. drill — a practice
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — in football
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rule — government
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. capital — money
  17. rule — a law
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. drill — army training
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. capital — a big letter
  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