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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: pound · bore · capital · scale · last · sharp · nail · coach

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. capital — a city
  7. bore — to tire
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — in music
  10. capital — money
  11. sharp — clever
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — final
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pound — a weight
  24. last — finally

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