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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: date · swing · chip · bay · hand · pitcher · net · band

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. net — for catching
  3. band — a ring
  4. swing — in golf
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — in sport
  11. swing — music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. net — after costs
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  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