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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 120 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: rush · chest · straw · clip · deal · board · club · scale

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — for dancing
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. board — a committee
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — to get on
  11. scale — size or range
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — to handle
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — hurry
  21. chest — a box
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. club — a group
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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