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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — to recline
  4. fork — in a road
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — a city
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — money
  21. game — a match
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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