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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. firm — decided
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — in cards
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. current — electric
  8. firm — steady
  9. hand — help
  10. current — happening now
  11. capital — a city
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — of water
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. firm — a company
  18. face — part of the head
  19. vault — a safe
  20. face — to confront
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — money

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