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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — in music
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. date — the fruit
  8. kick — in football
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. fork — in a road
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. date — on the calendar

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