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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — to eat
  4. last — finally
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bound — obliged
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. row — to paddle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. last — final
  21. bound — certain
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — in a race
  24. row — a line

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