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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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Word bank
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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: chair · swing · hand · cell · calf · tube · chip · object

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — for betting
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. object — a thing
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. object — an aim
  14. swing — music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. object — to protest
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chair — a leader
  19. swing — to play on
  20. tube — a container
  21. cell — in biology
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tube — the underground

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