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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: swing · rash · game · pitcher · rock · shower · lie · chip

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — to recline
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rock — music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. swing — to play on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chip — to eat
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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