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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 · sharp · ground · mug · pitcher · row · club · deal

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chip — to eat
  4. club — a group
  5. mug — a face
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — a line
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — for betting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. club — for golf
  18. ground — a position
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mug — a cup

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