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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. march — music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — a city
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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