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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a city
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. capital — money
  9. content — the amount
  10. rule — government
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — a safe
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rule — a law
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rest — what's left

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