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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. date — the fruit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stock — shares

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