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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — help
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — government
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — a group
  24. fork — in a road

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