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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: hand · row · fall · deal · chip · mug · racket · mine

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hand — in cards
  4. deal — to handle
  5. hand — help
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mug — a cup
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. fall — the season
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — to paddle

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