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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. stock — goods
  6. degree — temperature
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — in music
  13. fork — in a road
  14. degree — an amount
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — shares
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — magic
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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