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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. march — music
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stock — shares
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. march — the month
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. charge — a price
  15. rash — a series
  16. stock — goods
  17. charge — in control
  18. rash — hasty
  19. season — of the year
  20. charge — electricity
  21. object — a thing
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — in a road

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