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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. last — to go on
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rock — music
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. roll — a cake
  12. last — finally
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. roll — a list
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — final
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fork — in a road
  20. capital — a city
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. mark — a grade

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