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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: stick · racket · kid · roll · band · chip · march · present

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kid — child
  4. present — there
  5. march — the month
  6. present — the time now
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. band — a ring
  14. chip — to eat
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. kid — to tease
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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