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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: rush · chip · face · stand · racket · rest · mine · swing

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. face — to confront
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. swing — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stand — to bear
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. face — part of the head

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