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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. net — for catching
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. stock — shares
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mug — a face
  16. fork — in a road
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. can — to be able to
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of law
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — for sport
  24. mug — a cup

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