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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. roll — a list
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. object — a thing
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. roll — a cake
  24. object — an aim

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