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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: capital · cabinet · row · drill · bound · ball · date · arm

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — money
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — obliged
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. drill — army training
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bound — tied together
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. capital — a city
  20. bound — certain
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a great time
  24. date — the fruit

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