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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: row · swing · chip · nail · file · pop · race · arm

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. swing — music
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. row — a line
  18. chip — to eat
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pop — music
  21. chip — for betting
  22. file — a line of people
  23. row — to paddle
  24. file — a tool

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