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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: pitcher · row · kid · swing · ruler · chip · board · clip

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — a video
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. clip — to cut
  9. kid — to tease
  10. swing — in golf
  11. board — a committee
  12. chip — to eat
  13. clip — for paper
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — to play on
  17. row — a line
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. board — to get on
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. kid — child

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