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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: fork · pit · rule · scale · stem · shower · deal · face

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — to point toward
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — government
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. shower — rain
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. face — to confront
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fork — in a road
  24. face — part of the head

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