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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: content · game · straw · capital · mouse · fork · ball · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. capital — a city
  4. staff — employees
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. fork — in a road
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. content — happy
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ball — a dance
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mouse — for a computer

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