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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: rock · stick · wake · sharp · straw · fork · firm · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. rock — music
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. fork — in a road
  9. capital — a city
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wake — a trail
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. firm — a company
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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