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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — soda
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. capital — a city
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — a position
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pop — to visit
  21. fork — in a road
  22. capital — money
  23. pop — music
  24. stock — goods

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