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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. sharp — clever
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spell — letters
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — a short time
  16. press — a publisher
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — to push
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. capital — a city

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