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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: rash · kick · stand · chip · club · chest

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. 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. kick — in football
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. chip — for betting
  4. club — for golf
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. club — a group
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. 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