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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — shares
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — to tire
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pop — to visit
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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