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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. march — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. snap — to click
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. prune — to trim
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — in a road
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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