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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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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: bowl · spell · last · kid · chip · deal · cap · pop

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. last — to go on
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — a hat
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chip — to eat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — magic
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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