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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fork — in a road
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a city
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pass — a permit
  12. firm — steady
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — decided
  18. capital — money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pass — to succeed

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