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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 120 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: chip · chest · pop · patient · band · snap · pass · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. band — a music group
  3. chip — for betting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pop — music
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pop — soda
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — a box
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chest — of your body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chip — to eat
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. snap — to click

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