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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 120 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: fork · chair · row · pass · suit · capital · arm · shower

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. shower — rain
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fork — in a road
  18. suit — in cards
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — clothes
  21. chair — a leader
  22. suit — to fit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pass — to succeed

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