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

Word bank: tear · present · pop · clip · fork · suit · deal · rest

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pop — to visit
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. present — a gift
  5. suit — clothes
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — the time now
  10. pop — soda
  11. rest — a break
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rest — what's left
  17. deal — to handle
  18. present — there
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pop — music
  24. suit — in cards

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