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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a list
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — shares
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — in a road
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — music
  18. shower — to wash
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — the month
  22. land — a country
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. perch — for a bird

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