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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. object — an aim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. capital — money
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — to protest
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — a thing
  21. hand — help
  22. toast — bread
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. capital — a city

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