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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. snap — to click
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. capital — money
  7. firm — a company
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. key — in music
  12. firm — steady
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. can — a tin
  21. firm — decided
  22. fork — in a road
  23. can — a tin
  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