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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. can — a tin
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — of the year
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — money
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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