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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — the earth
  6. net — in sport
  7. swing — music
  8. ground — a position
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — government
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. swing — in golf

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