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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. lie — to recline
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stand — to bear
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — to eat with

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