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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. date — the fruit
  4. season — in sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — a line
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ground — a position
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — pulled by horses

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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