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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: kick · chip · race · board · roll · swing

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. race — humankind
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. race — a contest
  8. swing — music
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. race — the arms race
  15. swing — in golf
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. swing — to play on
  18. roll — a list

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