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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — of a king
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. file — a tool
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a document
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — for sport
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. file — a line of people
  24. capital — a city

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