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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a dance
  7. last — finally
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — to tire
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. fork — in a road
  15. capital — money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. last — final
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ball — a round shape

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