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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: pound · mug · hand · swing · chip · net · cell · fall

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mug — to rob
  5. swing — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. mug — a face
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — in sport
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — for betting
  21. hand — help
  22. pound — a weight
  23. hand — in cards
  24. net — for catching

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