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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a match
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. can — a tin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — to be able to
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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