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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: chip · mine · lash · straw · leaves · court · foot · swing

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. court — for sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mine — for digging
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — to play on
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chip — for betting
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. swing — music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chip — to eat

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