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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. branch — a division
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — to eat
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. drill — army training
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pop — music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — a position
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fall — the season
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — for betting

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