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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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Word bank
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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: stand · swing · bound · kick · wound · scale · chip · bay

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. kick — in football
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stand — to bear
  22. bound — obliged
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in 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