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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. capital — a city
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fork — in a road
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. march — music
  9. firm — a company
  10. content — the amount
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — decided
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. mate — to breed
  24. firm — steady

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