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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: trunk · content · drill · lie · capital · sharp · cold · suit

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — in cards
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — the amount
  9. drill — a practice
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. capital — money
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. drill — the tool
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — a city
  19. cold — not warm
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lie — to recline
  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