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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · tear · rule · lash · fork · safe · deal · file

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — a city
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. file — a tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rule — a law
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rule — government
  12. tear — to rip
  13. file — a document
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — in a road
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — out of danger

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