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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: deal · fork · ground · clip · rock · ball · wind · bat

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ground — crushed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — music
  24. clip — for paper

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