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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. object — a thing
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. club — for golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to bend
  8. object — an aim
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. capital — a city
  11. object — to protest
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. capital — money
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lean — thin
  24. club — a group

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