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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: chip · club · pop · mate · rash · land · calf · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — a group
  12. pop — music
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — to come down
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pop — to visit

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