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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — a city
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — a group
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — after costs
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. club — for golf
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. capital — money
  24. net — for catching

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