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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 120 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: board · march · lash · cabinet · mate · capital · hide · drill

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — to breed
  16. board — a committee
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — to get on
  24. march — the month

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