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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: capital · fall · mine · fork · season · jam · squash · suit

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. suit — clothes
  15. season — in sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fall — to drop
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. suit — in cards

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