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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 116 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: wake · capital · nail · sharp · pit · face · dip · drill

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. face — to confront
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — a practice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. capital — money
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. drill — army training
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pit — a hole
  23. drill — the tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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