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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · bat · saw · ground · stock · fork · degree · mark

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ground — a position
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. stock — shares
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stock — goods
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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