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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. row — to paddle
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — money
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — in a road
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. kid — child
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kid — to tease
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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