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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 116 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: shower · bat · can · firm · chip · cap · fan · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. firm — a company
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. firm — steady
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a hat
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. firm — decided
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. can — a tin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. deal — to handle

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