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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: firm · board · fork · wake · kid · ruler · ball · capital

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. board — a committee
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. capital — a city
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kid — child
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — steady
  23. fork — in a road
  24. board — to get on

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