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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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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. capital — money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — a list
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. mate — a partner
  8. object — to protest
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fork — in a road
  11. rest — what's left
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — a country
  17. object — an aim
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. land — ground
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. roll — a cake

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