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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: staff · roll · chip · swing · board · bat · bore · saw

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. saw — the tool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. bore — to tire
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. staff — employees
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. board — to get on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. swing — music
  24. chip — for betting

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