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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. kid — to tease
  10. capital — money
  11. kid — child
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fork — in a road
  16. key — in music
  17. season — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wake — a trail
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. season — of the year

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