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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. game — a match
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — goods
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. capital — money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fork — in a road
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. capital — a city
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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