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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.

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: cabinet · capital · drill · saw · spell · mug · bowl · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. capital — a city
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — child
  8. spell — magic
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. drill — army training
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — letters
  16. mug — a face
  17. capital — money
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cabinet — ministers

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