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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 · hand · mouse · race · leaves · squash · present · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. drill — the tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. race — humankind
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. race — a contest
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. drill — a practice
  22. present — the time now
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. present — a gift

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