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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: bore · rule · deal · club · kid · chest · chip · pop

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. club — a group
  3. deal — to handle
  4. club — for golf
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — soda
  10. rule — a law
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — a box
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kid — child
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pop — 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