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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pop — soda
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — to handle
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — for catching
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — all right
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pop — music
  24. deal — an agreement

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