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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: pit · arm · cold · chip · swing · jam · bank · spell

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bank — for money
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chip — for betting
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. spell — magic
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — a short time
  24. swing — music

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