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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — goods
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — shares
  18. pass — a permit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cue — for pool

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