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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: deal · straw · squash · firm · chip · clip · lean · mate

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. firm — steady
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. deal — to handle
  5. firm — a company
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a friend
  8. clip — to cut
  9. firm — decided
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. chip — to eat
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lean — to bend

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