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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: deal · cold · pitcher · sharp · suit · chip · chest · rule

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rule — government
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rule — a law
  17. suit — in cards
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cold — not warm
  20. chest — a box
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chip — for betting
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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