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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — for sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. court — of law
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ground — a position
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chip — for betting
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. court — of a king
  24. ground — the earth

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