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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rest — a break
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. swing — music
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — bread
  14. capital — money
  15. fork — in a road
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — in music
  24. rest — what's left

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