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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. capital — a city
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — help
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. fall — the season
  24. fork — a garden tool

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