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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: chip · mug · firm · cell · cold · hand · court · deal

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. firm — decided
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — steady
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — to eat
  15. firm — a company
  16. court — for sport
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hand — help
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mug — a face
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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