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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: kid · rock · stand · deal · wave · date · last · chip

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. last — final
  3. kid — to tease
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rock — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — child
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. last — to go on
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. last — finally

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