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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: chip · drill · hand · deal · lean · capital · land · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — to handle
  8. drill — army training
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — ground
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — help
  14. capital — money
  15. hand — in cards
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — for betting
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. land — to come down
  24. capital — a big letter

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