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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 116 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. game — a match
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bear — the animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — to crush

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