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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stock — shares
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — in music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. can — a tin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. file — a tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stock — goods
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fork — a garden tool

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