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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: fork · cue · chest · fine · rush · capital · date · ground

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — high quality
  8. capital — money
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cue — a signal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — the earth
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. fine — all right
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — a box
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chest — of your body

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