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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — a box
  7. row — a line
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — to eat
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — to paddle
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — in a road
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chip — for betting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. deal — to handle

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