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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: deal · drill · last · capital · bulb · kick · scale · mark

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bulb — for light
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. deal — to handle
  9. capital — a city
  10. last — finally
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. last — to go on
  17. scale — in music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — size or range
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kick — in football
  23. last — final
  24. mark — a trace

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