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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — goods
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. rest — a break
  24. stock — shares

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