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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. race — a contest
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. race — the arms race
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kick — in football
  10. capital — money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. deal — to handle
  13. capital — a city
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. craft — boats
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. row — a line
  23. race — humankind
  24. row — to paddle

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