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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: capital · can · stick · fork · march · chair · perch · lie

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. capital — money
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — music
  9. capital — a city
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. march — the month
  19. perch — the fish
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. can — a tin

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