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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — of ice
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — a position
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ground — the earth
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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