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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · deal · wind · can · ground · fork · drill · squash

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ground — a position
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rule — a law
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rule — government
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fork — in a road
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. squash — to crush

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