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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: nail · cabinet · saw · snap · face · bore · kid · capital

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. saw — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to tire
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — to tease
  18. capital — a city
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — money
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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