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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: chip · arm · roll · lash · swing · cold · cell · hide

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chip — for betting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. roll — a list
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chip — to eat
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. roll — a cake

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