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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · rash · sharp · object · bat · temple · capital · cap

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a city
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a lid
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. object — a thing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — an aim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. object — to protest

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