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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. present — there
  3. squash — to crush
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rest — a break
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fork — in a road
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. present — a gift
  17. rest — what's left
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — to eat with

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