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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 · capital · stand · mark · foot · lean · bat · racket

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mark — a grade
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. foot — a measure
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mark — a trace
  24. lean — to bend

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