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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. squash — to crush
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cell — in biology
  14. capital — a city
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. last — to go on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. capital — money

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