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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: hand · race · swing · scale · foot · cabinet · chip · row

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. row — a line
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. hand — in cards
  5. race — the arms race
  6. swing — in golf
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — humankind
  9. hand — help
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. chip — to eat
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. scale — in music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chip — for betting
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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