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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: key · swing · hand · staff · chip · file · row · net

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. row — a line
  7. key — the most important part
  8. net — for catching
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — to paddle
  11. swing — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — in cards
  17. staff — employees
  18. key — in music
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — after costs
  21. file — a line of people
  22. net — in sport
  23. hand — help
  24. chip — in a computer

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