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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — thin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rule — a law
  13. capital — a city
  14. rule — government
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fork — in a road
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. capital — money
  21. bass — low music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bass — the instrument

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