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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rule — government
  4. capital — a city
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — money
  7. fork — in a road
  8. object — to protest
  9. bat — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. object — an aim
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. object — a thing

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