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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — part of the head
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — to confront
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rush — hurry
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. net — in sport
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. board — to get on
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — a committee
  22. charge — a price
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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