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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. row — to paddle
  3. content — the amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. capital — a city
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pound — a weight
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — an amount
  18. capital — money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. content — happy
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. row — a line

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