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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — for digging
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — a subject
  8. stock — shares
  9. field — farmland
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. field — for sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. capital — money
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — to breed

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