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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chip — to eat
  4. net — after costs
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chip — for betting
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — in a road
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. deal — to handle
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bore — to drill

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