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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. hand — in cards
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. toast — bread
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. hand — help
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hand — part of the body

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