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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: hand · drill · bound · capital · face · board · mate · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to confront
  6. bound — obliged
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — a practice
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a city
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — part of the head
  18. board — a committee
  19. drill — army training
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mate — a friend
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — the tool

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