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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — for catching
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — goods
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pit — in a race
  9. net — after costs
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. bound — obliged
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — shares
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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