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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. face — to point toward
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. press — to push
  14. face — part of the head
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — the fruit
  24. press — newspapers

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