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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: season · cold · capital · bear · key · fork · lash · race

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. capital — money
  3. race — the arms race
  4. cold — an illness
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fork — in a road
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. race — humankind
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — of the year
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. key — the most important part
  22. season — in sport
  23. cold — not warm
  24. key — in music

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