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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 116 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: squash · chip · sharp · swing · club · rash · mate · fork

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — the sport
  14. swing — music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. fork — in a road
  18. club — for golf
  19. mate — a friend
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chip — for betting

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