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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 · rest · chest · rush · pitch · spring · deal · hide

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. chest — a box
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — the season
  11. chip — to eat
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spring — of water
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — of your body

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