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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: scale · stick · rash · chip · face · row · chair · swing

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chair — a leader
  6. scale — in music
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chip — to eat
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. swing — music
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. face — to confront

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