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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stem — to come from
  3. capital — a city
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rule — government
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rule — a law
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. pop — music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chip — for betting
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — soda
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stem — of a plant

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