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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. capital — money
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. key — in music
  17. face — to confront
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — to point toward

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