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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 · fork · dip · bowl · ground · rule · wake · toast

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. capital — money
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. dip — to sink
  12. toast — bread
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rule — government
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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