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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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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: foot · squash · nail · chip · sharp · rush · branch · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — hurry
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chip — for betting
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chip — to eat
  16. squash — to crush
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chip — in a computer

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