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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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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: drill · chip · lash · deal · mug · temple · chest · pop

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mug — a face
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pop — music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chest — a box
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pop — soda
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mug — to rob
  24. drill — army training

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