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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cell — a phone
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — a city
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chip — to eat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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