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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: capital · rock · nail · staff · drill · perch · file · toast

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — bread
  7. rock — a stone
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a document
  17. drill — a practice
  18. file — a line of people
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. perch — the fish
  21. staff — employees
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — money
  24. staff — a stick

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