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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.

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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: rush · mouse · chair · mark · drill · capital · can · perch

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. capital — a city
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. drill — army training
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mouse — the animal

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