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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.

Make a worksheet

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: dip · staff · ground · chair · fork · lash · capital · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. capital — a city
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. staff — employees
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ground — the earth
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — money
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. dip — to sink
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chair — a leader
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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