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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — to drill
  13. spring — the season
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fork — in a road

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