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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — a series
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — shares
  6. mug — a cup
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. swing — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mug — a face
  24. rash — on the skin

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