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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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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 · chip · scale · last · bear · sharp · straw · season

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. last — to go on
  2. bear — the animal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — for betting
  5. last — finally
  6. season — in sport
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. chip — to eat
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. scale — size or range
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bear — the animal
  15. sharp — clever
  16. swing — to play on
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. scale — in music
  20. swing — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — final
  23. straw — a straw man
  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