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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: lie · chair · roll · club · deal · swing · kid · ball

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. ball — a great time
  3. roll — a cake
  4. deal — to handle
  5. club — for golf
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — a leader
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. club — a group
  15. roll — a list
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. kid — child
  19. swing — in golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. swing — to play on
  22. kid — to tease
  23. swing — music
  24. club — for dancing

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