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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.

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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: mouse · drill · trunk · fork · snap · safe · capital · march

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. drill — army training
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. capital — a city
  19. fork — in a road
  20. snap — to click
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. safe — out of danger

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