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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: coach · drill · last · dip · capital · scale · press · bore

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — final
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — in music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — size or range
  8. press — newspapers
  9. last — finally
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bore — to tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — army training
  18. last — to go on
  19. drill — a practice
  20. capital — money
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. press — to push
  23. bore — to drill
  24. capital — a city

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