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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. capital — a city
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fork — in a road
  9. sharp — clever
  10. file — a document
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chip — to eat
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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