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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fine — high quality
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — all right
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — a city
  24. bowl — to roll

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