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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: arm · clip · swing · file · rush · bowl · chip · calf

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. swing — to play on
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. file — a tool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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