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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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Word bank
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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: wind · chair · last · kick · deal · chip

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kick — in football
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. last — final
  12. deal — to handle
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. last — to go on
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. wind — moving air

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