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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: swing · bowl · dip · land · wake · stick · calf · chip

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. dip — to sink
  5. swing — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chip — to eat
  12. swing — in golf
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — a country
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. calf — a young animal

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