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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. present — there
  3. ground — the earth
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rule — government
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — a gift
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rule — a law
  24. bear — to put up with

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