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

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. drill — army training
  4. kid — to tease
  5. drill — a practice
  6. current — of water
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — goods
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — in music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — shares
  22. current — happening now
  23. chip — in a computer
  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