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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: arm · capital · hide · fall · pass · date · ground · drill

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ground — a position
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ground — crushed
  16. date — the fruit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. capital — a city
  20. drill — a practice
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fall — to drop
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. fall — the season

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