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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stock — shares
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. march — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fork — in a road
  10. squash — the sport
  11. march — the month
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of a king
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fork — to eat with

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