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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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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: pop · march · capital · row · dip · kid · fork · fine

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. fine — all right
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pop — to visit
  11. march — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. fine — high quality
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — music
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pop — soda

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