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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · pit · nail · row · fan · deal · mine · spring

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. row — a line
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — of water
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — for digging
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spring — the season
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spring — a coil
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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