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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. hand — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. saw — the tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — in a road
  10. firm — steady
  11. suit — in cards
  12. ground — a position
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ground — the earth
  15. firm — decided
  16. capital — money
  17. firm — a company
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — help

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