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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: row · jam · deal · chip · drill · arm · shower · fork

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. row — a line
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. drill — the tool
  17. deal — to handle
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fork — in a road
  24. shower — rain

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