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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: kick · rash · tube · chip · toast · cold · arm · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — a series
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rash — hasty
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. swing — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tube — a container
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — to eat
  19. kick — in football
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. chip — for betting
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — a thrill

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