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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: track · mouse · deal · row · wound · stick · lean · chip

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. row — a line
  5. lean — to bend
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. track — a song
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a path
  14. chip — to eat
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — for betting
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mouse — 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