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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. craft — boats
  3. ground — crushed
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rule — government
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. fork — in a road
  21. craft — a skill
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. rule — a law

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