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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 116 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: bear · sharp · hide · bowl · capital · bay · file · fork

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. sharp — clever
  12. capital — a city
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. file — a tool
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fork — to eat with

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