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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: present · drill · capital · bay · sharp · deal · mine · lie

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — there
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. drill — army training
  18. mine — for digging
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — to handle
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. capital — money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. deal — a big deal

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