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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: shower · deal · chip · wind · object · field

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. shower — rain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. object — an aim
  6. chip — to eat
  7. object — to protest
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — to handle
  10. field — a subject
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. shower — to wash
  14. field — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — farmland
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — a big deal

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