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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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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: tear · swing · bat · chip · lash · fall · bound · arm

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — certain
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — obliged
  11. swing — in golf
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — tied together
  23. swing — music
  24. chip — to eat

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