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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fork — in a road
  3. capital — money
  4. snap — to click
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. court — of law
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fall — the season
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — of a king
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fall — to drop

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