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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 120 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: bat · bank · bear · chest · chip · swing · pit · hide

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — in golf
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chest — a box
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bank — for money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bat — the 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