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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: wind · charge · bat · chip · last · bay · saw · deal

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — a price
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. last — finally
  18. chip — to eat
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — electricity
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. charge — in control
  24. bat — the animal

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