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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — for betting
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hand — help
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cap — a hat

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