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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — a series
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. drill — army training
  11. rest — a break
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — the tool
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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