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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pit — a hole
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spring — of water
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — a division
  20. chip — for betting
  21. roll — a list
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — in a road
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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