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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tube — a container
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — shares
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. saw — the tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pound — a weight
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bowl — a football final

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