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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 120 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: fork · file · racket · drill · court · lash · lie · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — in a road
  4. court — of law
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. court — of a king
  10. capital — a city
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — for sport
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — army training
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. lie — to recline
  20. capital — money
  21. drill — the tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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