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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: mine · drill · capital · pitcher · chest · rule · stand · key

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. key — in music
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — for a lock
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rule — government
  16. chest — a box
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mine — for digging
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — the most important part
  24. stand — on your feet

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