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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — money
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. capital — a city
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — the underground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — a container

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