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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: cell · deal · cold · pitch · bank · chip · spell · saw

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — in biology
  13. spell — a short time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spell — letters
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — in a prison

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