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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: cap · roll · pitcher · rest · chip · stock · field · fork

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. field — farmland
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — a break
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a list
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — a subject
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. stock — goods
  24. cap — a lid

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