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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. deal — to handle
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — to wash
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rest — what's left

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