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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. craft — a skill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — in a road
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. capital — money
  10. swing — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. capital — a city
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stock — goods
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wake — before a funeral

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