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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: straw · row · roll · file · chip · club · season · lash

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a document
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chip — to eat
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. club — for golf
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. season — of the year
  13. roll — a cake
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. roll — a list
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. row — a line
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a line of people
  23. club — a group
  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