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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · field · cabinet · stock · row · fork · ball · toast

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stock — shares
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — a subject
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. field — for sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — to paddle

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