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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: chair · pound · tear · fork · wake · firm · bowl · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. capital — a city
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — money
  10. pound — a weight
  11. firm — steady
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. firm — a company
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. firm — decided

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