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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: deal · chip · chair · club · pass · content · wave · branch

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. content — happy
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chip — to eat
  10. content — the amount
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. deal — to handle
  21. club — a group
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. branch — a division

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