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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: racket · cold · mine · chip · arm · club · rock · mug

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — for golf
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mug — a cup
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — music
  13. chip — for betting
  14. club — a group
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cold — an illness
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. racket — for tennis

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