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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. court — of law
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — army training
  11. cap — a hat
  12. tear — from crying
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. drill — the tool

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