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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: fall · drill · leaves · march · deal · cell · lash · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. drill — army training
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. fall — the season
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fall — to drop
  24. march — music

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