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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. cap — of ice
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fork — in a road
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mate — a friend
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. charge — a price
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mate — a partner
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitch — completely
  18. charge — in control
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. cap — a lid

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