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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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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: suit · game · dip · chip · staff · cold · swing · pound

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. staff — employees
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chip — for betting
  7. suit — in cards
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cold — an illness
  10. suit — to fit
  11. dip — to sink
  12. suit — clothes
  13. staff — employees
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chip — to eat
  20. swing — music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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