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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — shares
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stock — goods
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rash — a series

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