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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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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 · drill · rule · perch · cabinet · content · bay · chest

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rule — government
  9. drill — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a city
  12. chest — of your body
  13. drill — army training
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. capital — money
  22. rule — a law
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. perch — the fish

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