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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: straw · tube · chip · deal · craft · current · pound · race

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chip — to eat
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — of water
  9. race — the arms race
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tube — a container
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — electric
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. race — a contest
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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