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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — to eat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ground — the earth
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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