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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 116 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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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: root · rush · cold · swing · hide · chip · pit · lean

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. lean — thin
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. root — the cause
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rush — hurry
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. root — of a plant
  17. chip — for betting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — of a word
  23. lean — to bend
  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