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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. capital — a city
  3. march — music
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. firm — decided
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spell — letters
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. bound — certain
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — for betting
  15. firm — steady
  16. spell — a short time
  17. fork — in a road
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chip — to eat
  22. firm — a company
  23. march — the month
  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