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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: fork · deal · stick · nail · capital · saw · temple · squash

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. capital — a city
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. deal — to handle
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — money
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — a place of worship

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