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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: rest · deal · bear · net · chair · chip · mouse · file

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rest — a break
  15. net — in sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — the animal

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