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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: swing · cell · roll · trunk · firm · march · chip · net

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. net — for catching
  4. roll — a cake
  5. firm — a company
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. firm — decided
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. swing — music
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. march — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — to play on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. net — after costs
  23. roll — a list
  24. swing — in golf

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