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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: leaves · fork · bay · sharp · jam · snap · toast · capital

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. capital — a city
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. toast — bread
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — in a road
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. snap — to click
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. capital — money

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