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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. staff — employees
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chip — to eat
  4. fork — in a road
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chip — for betting
  19. drill — army training
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wind — moving air
  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