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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rule — government
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stock — shares
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. fork — in a road
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ground — a position
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stock — goods
  24. tube — the underground

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