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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. roll — a list
  4. dip — to sink
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. charge — a price
  11. fork — in a road
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. charge — in control
  19. capital — a city
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — electricity
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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