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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bass — the fish
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — letters
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — money
  15. face — to confront
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — in a road
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — a grade
  24. race — a contest

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