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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: track · kid · racket · chip · march · deal · press · chest

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. chip — for betting
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. march — the month
  7. press — a publisher
  8. kid — child
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chip — to eat
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — to push
  15. chest — a box
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — newspapers
  19. track — a song
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chest — of your body
  24. deal — an agreement

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