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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. last — to go on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rest — a break
  7. stock — shares
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — finally
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. present — the time now
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. present — a gift
  18. rest — what's left
  19. last — final
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — there
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fork — a garden tool

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