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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: deal · game · spell · fork · ground · snap · pit · fall

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. snap — to click
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pit — a hole
  12. game — a match
  13. spell — magic
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — letters
  19. ground — crushed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fall — the season

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