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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 · rest · land · chip · bass · kick · lie · bowl

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. land — to come down
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — low music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — a country
  22. kick — in football
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rest — a break

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