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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · arm · chip · band · scale · row · roll · staff

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. roll — a cake
  4. swing — in golf
  5. band — a ring
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — to play on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. staff — a stick
  10. swing — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. chip — for betting
  13. row — to paddle
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. roll — a list
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. scale — in music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. scale — size or range
  23. staff — employees
  24. arm — a part of something

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