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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — to bend
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. last — to go on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. fork — in a road

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