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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: track · fan · fork · march · ball · capital · foot · calf

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. capital — money
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a dance
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fork — in a road
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. capital — a city
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — a song
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ball — a round shape

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