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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: temple · key · drill · mine · spell · dip · bound · capital

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. capital — a city
  5. spell — magic
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bound — certain
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. capital — money
  17. key — for a lock
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. drill — army training

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