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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. spring — of water
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — money
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mark — a trace
  18. capital — a city
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — in a road
  22. roll — a list
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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