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

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. net — in sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. roll — a list
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — an illness
  12. staff — a stick
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. cold — not warm
  16. staff — employees
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — after costs
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. net — for catching
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. staff — employees
  24. row — a quarrel

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