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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chip — to eat
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. track — a path
  8. mark — a grade
  9. file — a tool
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bank — for money
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. track — a song
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stock — shares
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stock — goods
  20. file — a document
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fork — in a road
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — to pay attention

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