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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — for money
  7. fine — all right
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. fine — high quality
  19. ground — the earth
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. capital — money
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — a penalty

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