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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. firm — decided
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fork — in a road
  5. file — a document
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — part of the head
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. face — to confront
  14. game — a match
  15. face — to point toward
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — wild animals
  18. file — a line of people
  19. prune — to trim
  20. firm — steady
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a tool
  23. firm — a company
  24. prune — the fruit

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