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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: march · chip · firm · wind · cap · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cap — a lid
  8. firm — steady
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cap — a hat
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. firm — a company
  18. chip — in a computer

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