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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: rash · mate · chip · cell · kid · stock · swing · scale

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stock — goods
  5. kid — child
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — in music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. scale — size or range
  10. swing — in golf
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mate — a friend
  13. cell — in biology
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. swing — to play on

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