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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. sharp — clever
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. capital — money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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