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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: rush · hand · deal · capital · chip · firm · bulb · sharp

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. firm — a company
  4. chip — to eat
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. firm — decided
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — for betting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. deal — to handle
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. hand — help
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bulb — for light
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. firm — steady
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rush — to hurry

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