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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: craft · march · capital · rest · firm · wound · fork · last

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. last — final
  3. march — the month
  4. capital — a city
  5. march — music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — money
  10. last — finally
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — a company
  15. rest — a break
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. firm — decided
  20. last — to go on
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. firm — steady

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