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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: lash · bat · chip · tube · board · chair · swing · shower

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. swing — music
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. swing — to play on
  10. tube — the underground
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tube — a container
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. board — a committee
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. swing — in golf
  23. board — to get on
  24. shower — to wash

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