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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. craft — boats
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. last — final
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to drill
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to tire
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rest — what's left

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