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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fall — the season
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. calf — of the leg

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