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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: swing · lean · game · roll · stand · ground · cue · chip

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. game — a match
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. game — wild animals
  6. lean — thin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. roll — a list
  15. stand — to bear
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. swing — music
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. roll — a cake
  24. swing — to play on

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