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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 116 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: kid · band · pound · chip · deal · kick

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — to tease
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kick — in football
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. deal — to handle
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chip — to eat
  14. kid — child
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chip — for betting
  18. band — a ring

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