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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — certain
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. kick — in football
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stock — shares
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stock — goods

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