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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — shares
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — goods
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. scale — in music
  17. capital — money
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — a city
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — size or range
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. stand — to bear

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