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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: rule · arm · branch · kid · chair · deal · mug · chest

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rule — government
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chest — of your body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. branch — a division
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rule — a law
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — a box
  15. mug — a face
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kid — child
  19. chair — a leader
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chest — of your body

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