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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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 — a garden tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. can — a tin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. net — after costs
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stock — goods
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — soda
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — to be able to
  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