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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. staff — employees
  3. degree — an amount
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. can — a tin
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. degree — temperature
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — to grow

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