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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. suit — to fit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ground — crushed
  7. suit — in cards
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — clothes
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — goods
  20. track — a path
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stock — shares
  24. spring — a coil

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