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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — a coil
  6. capital — money
  7. present — the time now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. present — a gift
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. present — there
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. capital — a big letter

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