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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bass · bound · capital · drill · chair · face · pit · object

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. bound — obliged
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — tied together
  8. drill — army training
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. capital — a city
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — to point toward
  14. object — to protest
  15. chair — a leader
  16. face — to confront
  17. bass — low music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — the fish

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