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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: wound · swing · racket · chip · land · current · chair · craft

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. chair — a professorship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — to eat
  5. current — happening now
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — to play on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — ground
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — a leader
  13. swing — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. current — of water
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. current — electric
  23. craft — a skill
  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