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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bore — to tire
  11. key — in music
  12. capital — money
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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