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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 · bowl · kick · present · swing · mine

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kick — in football
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. present — there
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. present — the time now
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. present — a gift

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