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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: degree · suit · capital · date · spring · fork · land · key

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spring — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. capital — a city
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. land — a country
  10. spring — of water
  11. land — ground
  12. key — for a lock
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. date — the fruit
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spring — a coil
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — money

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