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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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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: bound · stick · bat · fan · deal · lash · straw · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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