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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: ground · swing · hide · pop · lie · toast · chip · arm

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. swing — music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — soda
  12. ground — a position
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — bread
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pop — to visit
  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