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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 116 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: board · lie · swing · pound · cold · rest · chip · file

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. file — a document
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pound — a weight
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cold — not warm
  9. board — a committee
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a tool
  20. swing — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. swing — in golf
  23. chip — to eat
  24. board — to get on

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