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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. chip — for betting
  4. swing — in golf
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. season — in sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — for digging
  12. season — of the year
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — a line
  23. land — to come down
  24. swing — music

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