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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: object · fork · stick · hide · cabinet · face · row · capital

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. capital — a city
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — part of the head
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. face — to point toward
  8. object — a thing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — to confront
  22. row — to paddle
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — in a road

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