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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. board — a committee
  18. capital — a city
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. sharp — clever
  21. capital — money
  22. cap — a hat
  23. board — to get on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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