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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. land — a country
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. row — a line
  13. land — ground
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — a skill
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. craft — boats
  22. net — after costs
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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